POLL: What’s the Best Show on TV?

I’ve mentioned many times, that the quality of television dramas right now is a whole lot better than 95% of the movies in theaters.  The re-runs of summer are drawing to a close and new episodes (at least for broadcast TV) are on the horizon.  So what, in your opinion, is the best show on TV?  I’m going to set Breaking Bad on a hallowed shelf because it will be done by the time we finish this poll on 10/1/2013 (ditto for Burn Notice).  So vote for your favorite and let’s see the Killing Time official best show.

Trailer TIme: Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD Season One Trailer #2 (2013)

The second trailer for Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is up and I cannot wait to see what they’re going to do with it.  Official synopsis below:

In the series, Clark Gregg reprises his role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel’s feature films as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents including: Brett Dalton as Agent Grant Ward, Iain De Caestecker as Agent Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Agent Jemma Simmons, Ming-Na Wen as Agent Melinda May, and Chloe Bennet as the mysterious computer hacker, Skye.

The first episode of the series is set to premiere on ABC on Tuesday, September 24th at 8 p.m.

Star Wars Episode VII Title Confirmed by Multiple Sources

Multiple sources on the Internet are confirming the title of Star Wars Episode VII.  This was the title first leaked when the film was announced and it’s a little bland, but it makes perfect sense in context of both the series and this fresh start.  Star Wars Episode VII: A New Dawn is the title of the new film, according to multiple bloggers and news sites that have been dead-on with rumors thus far regarding the new film.  I would completely expect Disney to deny it, because they’ve been hesitant to do any marketing or confirmation on anything regarding Episode VII thus far.  Some of these same sources are confirming the Milennium Falcon’s return and that a Falcon set is currently being constructed at Pinewood Studios.  I like the title.  From “A New Hope” to “A New Dawn” seems very apt and in keeping with the Star Wars tradition of duality.  It’s been done in the titles before with “Revenge of the Jedi (the original title of ROTJ)” and “Revenge of the Sith”.  What do you think of this as the new title?

Thor The Dark World Character Descriptions (Who is Where When the Film Begins?)

Everything building to Thor the Dark World has been looking outstanding, to get your scorecard straight as to who is what doing what where (wha?), here are the character descriptions that were leaked online earlier this week.  Slight, slight spoilers, but nothing huge.  Thor 2 opens November 7, 2013.

THOR (CHRIS HEMSWORTH): Thor Odinson is the Prince and future King of Asgard, an advanced alien civilization. Once arrogant and impulsive, Thor was banished to Earth by his father, Odin. The experience taught him humility, but put him into conflict with his adopted brother Loki. After saving the Earth from Loki’s schemes alongside the Avengers, Thor now faces a new enemy — one that threatens to destroy everything he cares for.

LOKI (TOM HIDDLESTON): Loki Laufeyson is the adopted brother of Thor, raised alongside him from birth by Odin. Upon learning his true lineage, Loki sought to conquer both Asgard and Earth but was stopped by Thor and the Avengers. Still arrogant and unrepentant, Loki sits in the dungeons of Asgard, with only his mother Frigga seeing any hope for him. But when an ancient enemy seeks the destruction of Asgard, Loki finds his loyalties tested.

JANE FOSTER (NATALIE PORTMAN): Jane Foster is an astrophysicist who met Thor when he was exiled to Earth by his father. The two had an intense attraction in the short time they were together, and through Jane, Thor learned the value of humility and the heroic nature of humanity. After being separated since Thor’s first visit to Earth, Jane has moved on with her life… but now finds herself pulled into Thor’s world once again by an ancient evil.

DR. ERIK SELVIG (STELLAN SKARSGÅRD): Dr. Erik Selvig is a fellow astrophysicist and mentor to Jane Foster and was with her when Thor arrived on Earth. Selvig’s mind was possessed by Loki, who forced him to aid in his invasion of Earth. Loki’s mind control was lifted after Thor and the Avengers defeated him, but Selvig’s mental state has deteriorated due to Loki’s influence. Selvig now finds himself at the center of cosmic events once again as two worlds collide.

DARCY LEWIS (KAT DENNINGS): Darcy Lewis is Jane Foster’s intern, a quirky but quick-thinking poli-sci major who found herself in the middle of Earth’s first contact with an alien civilization. And while she doesn’t always understand everything that’s happening around her, she doesn’t hesitate to speak up about it. When Jane discovers an ancient cosmological event affecting the Earth, it’s Darcy who has to pick up the slack when Jane disappears.

HEIMDALL (IDRIS ELBA): Heimdall is the sentinel of Asgard with the ability to see and hear events galaxies away. He stands at his post in Asgard’s Observatory, watching over the cosmos and protecting Asgard from any and all intruders. As one of Odin’s most trusted warriors, Heimdall is beyond reproach… but now Asgard faces an enemy that even Heimdall cannot see.

MALEKITH (CHRISTOPHER ECCLESTON): Malekith is the cruel leader of the Dark Elves, a race of beings said to be older than the universe itself. Born into darkness, Malekith led his people in a war against the Asgardians, but they were thought to have been destroyed thousands of years ago. Malekith survived, however, and now seeks to transform our universe, plunging it back into eternal darkness.

ALGRIM/KURSE (ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE): Algrim/Kurse is Malekith’s trusted and loyal lieutenant. He fought at Malekith’s side during the initial war with Asgard thousands of years ago, but now their time is running out. Algrim is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice and is transformed into the monstrous Kurse. With a new and terrifying power, Kurse seeks to destroy Thor and Asgard in preparation for Malekith’s arrival.

VOLSTAGG (RAY STEVENSON): Volstagg makes up one third of the Warriors Three, Asgard’s greatest and most loyal warriors. Large and imposing, Volstagg’s skill with an axe is matched only by his appetite. With Fandral and Hogun, Volstagg has fought alongside Thor on many adventures across the cosmos. And while the stories of his exploits are often elaborated, he’s a hero to the Asgardian people.

FANDRAL (ZACHARY LEVI): Fandral is Asgard’s finest swordsman, which serves him well as a member of the Warriors Three. Alongside Volstagg and Hogun, Fandral fights to protect Asgard from any and all foes. When not using his sword to smite his enemies, Fandral uses his charm and good looks to woo the ladies.

HOGUN (TADANOBU ASANO): Hogun, often known as Hogun The Grim, is the deadliest of the Warriors Three. With both spiked mace and blade, Hogun defends Asgard as well as his own home, the peaceful planet of Vanaheim. Though he rarely speaks, his loyalty to Thor is legendary… as is his disapproval of Fandral and Volstagg’s frivolous natures.

SIF (JAIMIE ALEXANDER): Sif is one of Asgard’s most formidable warriors. Skilled and fearless, she’s a trusted and faithful ally to Thor. During his banishment, Sif saw Loki’s treachery and risked all to return Thor to Asgard…but on Earth, she saw that she had lost Thor’s heart to another—the human Jane Foster. Now at the end of a long campaign to free the Nine Realms from strife, Sif seeks to rekindle her relationship with Thor.

FRIGGA (RENE RUSSO): Frigga is wife of Odin and mother of Thor and Loki. The glue that holds the royal family together, Frigga knew that there was more to Odin’s banishment of Thor than met the eye, just as she now sees that there’s more within the villainous Loki than the others see. But when Asgard is attacked, Frigga will fight to defend those that she loves at any cost.

ODIN (ANTHONY HOPKINS): Odin is King of Asgard, Protector of the Nine Realms, and father to Thor and Loki. Odin’s long reign is coming to an end, however, and while disappointed with Thor’s arrogance at first, he now sees that Thor is ready for the throne. But when an ancient enemy returns, Odin questions Thor’s allegiances… for if Thor is to be king, he must choose duty over his heart’s desires.

 

Vin Diesel Drops a Potential Bomb About the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s 3rd Phase…”Merging of Brands?”

Marvel must reeeeeally like Vin Diesel, because he can’t come out of a meeting without teasing every geek in the world as to what he’s up to with them.  Diesel will be voicing Groot (I AM GROOT!) in next year’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but in an interview with Bleeding Cool, he casually dropped a potential huge bomb for Marvel’s Phase 3.  Marvel is developing these movies six years in advance.  So right now, they’re already planning out what films will come out in 2019, which is way into Phase 4.  That’s the kind of planning and cohesiveness that’s allowed them to give DC a giant thumping at the box office (and they don’t even own the rights to their most popular characters; whereas DC owns everything on their end).  Here’s his  quotes from the interview with Bleeding Cool.

“When I met with Marvel it wasn’t for anything immediate, it was to talk about a film that would be introduced in the Phase 3 part of Marvel, not for a few years. You wouldn’t be able to see it for a few years. In my mind, Marvel were doing it right, they were enrolling me at the ground level which is the best way to enroll me.”

“I get the call, I go down to Marvel. A great meeting. It was even talking about something so big I can’t even talk about because it’s like the merging of brands in a way, which I won’t get into. That was something way, way, way, way, way down the road.”

“We had agreed not to say anything about the specifics of the meeting. So, now I’ve got the fans who I love more than I love the industry, than I love everybody… I was thinking “I’ve got to be real with them, I’ve got to tell them something” and yet I want to be respectful of people’s process and if people like to do a slow reveal, you know?””

“Quite frankly, it would have been too much to say and it might have been anticlimactic to say ‘We’re working on something for 2016’ and so I just said ‘You’re going to hear some really big news’ and I left at the end of that and it went crazy.”

“The next Monday, Marvel talks to me and says “We’re going to send something over in two weeks. We want to focus on the 2016 but we also want to, if possible, answer this growing request for something now.” I don’t have six months to play a character in the immediate future, it’s all booked… there was no way I was going to be able to deliver… after Comic-Con, we were at a stalemate…”

OK, so two big things: Diesel is involved in talks for one of Marvel’s yet-to-be disclosed 2016 films and that there will be a “merging of brands” down the line.  My guess on the 2016 films was Dr. Strange and Black Panther, but Diesel’s not right for either of those.  I have no idea what he could be lined up for that year.  To be honest, I would rather see him play Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy than Groot.  I think Drax is the part best suited for him.

The merging of brands brings an immediate answer in my head because Marvel only has two “brands”: The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy (sadly they will never get back Spider-Man, Fantastic Four or X-Men).  My thought was the casts of both films will be joining forces for the eventual showdown with Thanos (maybe adapting The Infinity Gauntlet)?  Perhaps 2016 will see THAT film and that’s why nothing’s been released because it’s going to be HUGE.  Food for thought, either way.  Guardians of the Galaxy opens August 1, 2014.